WSMS_GB_2014Fall_Final2.indd

FALL 2014 | WSMSNYC.ORG

IN MIMI’S VOICE..........................................

A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR....

2013-2014 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS..........

MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS..........

INTERVIEWS:

Karen Deinzer and Robyn Mernick................

SUCCESSFUL CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

TO TRY AT HOME........................................

SOLVING THE OPPORTUNITY EQUATION:

Eric Schwarz: WSMS Alum, Author, and

Founder of Citizen Schools............................

A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION—

FOR A LIFETIME, AND FOR ALL:

The Witt-Hatﬁeld Family................................

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF

WSMS-TEP:

A Masterful Approach.................................

WEST SIDE

MONTESSORI SCHOOL

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2014-2015

Alexander H. Southwell, Chair

Mimi Basso, Head of School

Myles B. Amend, Vice Chair

Maggan Daileader, Vice Chair

Michael Seckler, Vice Chair

Suzanne Day, Secretary

Robert Shepardson, Treasurer

Kristen Chae Arabadjiev

Nissa Booker

Harriet Burnett

Nikki Chase-Levin

Kathleen Friery

Amy Groome

Alexandra Jarislowsky

Jae K. Lee

Bryan Mazlish

Monique Neal

Aima Raza

Joanna Hagan Rego

Cordell Spencer

Lindsay Forbes, PA Representative

Iva Mills, PA Representative

Giuliana de Grazia,

Faculty Representative

Great Beginnings

Fall 2014

CONTENTS

ANNUAL REPORT OF GIVING..................

The Annual Fund.........................................

Parents Association.....................................

45th Annual Auction....................................

Spring Fair...................................................

To me, fall is the most exciting time of

year: we celebrate new beginnings and,

most importantly, the return of children

to our classrooms. From now through

mid-June, with the love and support of

the dedicated adults in their lives, they

will surprise and delight us all with their

curiosity and their amazing capacity for

joyful learning. Our promise is to provide

these children, who will grow exponen-

tially in these early years, with the best

possible preparation for a lifetime of

successful learning.

Our teachers returned to school in late

August, eager to begin the new year.

As their energy ﬁ lled the building, I re-

ﬂ ected on the many individual and col-

lective accomplishments of our faculty,

and I felt proud to be part of a whole-

school effort focused on making sure

that every school day matters for every

child. Working in the wings, our multi-

talented and dedicated administrative

staff makes sure that every aspect of our

school is running smoothly: anticipating

faculty and classroom needs, helping

with systems and record keeping, sup-

porting the safety and security of each

child, and more and more…. And, we

are fortunate to have as trustees cur-

rent and former WSMS parents, who

generously provide invaluable strategic

advice and counsel to ensure that our

school will evolve and continue to thrive

to serve future generations. Collective-

ly, this committed community of faculty,

administrators, and trustees ensures

the present and future health of the rich

learning environment that we treasure

and protect.

This edition of Great Beginnings in-

cludes our Annual Report of Giving, in

which we have the opportunity to grate-

fully acknowledge the participation of

our donors and volunteers. Also fea-

tured are several articles, which I hope

you enjoy. Take a look at the proﬁ le of

the Witt-Hatﬁ eld family in our Alumni

feature; their commitment to education

is an inspiration to all. And, speaking of

alumni, Eric Schwarz, son of founders

Marian Lapsley Cross and Fritz Schwarz

and a member of our very ﬁ rst class,

recently published a book addressing

the “educational opportunity gap.” His

hands-on commitment to education is a

worthy read.

This issue also introduces two new re-

curring features: “Teacher Talk,” in

which we learn about our faculty (their

interests, expertise, and background);

and “Teacher Tips,” in which teachers

share some of the skills and techniques

that they use in working so successfully

with our children. Many of our teachers

mastered these skills over the course of

their training in WSMS-TEP, our teach-

er education program. I am delighted

to welcome Lisanne Pinciotti, MEd, as

the new head of WSMS-TEP. In this is-

sue Lisanne talks about what’s new, and

what’s to come, in the program.

In closing I want to highlight some

administrative changes. I wish Lorén

DeNicola, a highly respected member

of the WSMS faculty, tremendous suc-

cess in her new role as Director of the

Brownstone School. I also wish our

outgoing Chief Financial Ofﬁ cer, Mike

Moran, all the best. Mike has been a val-

ued member of our community for more

than a decade as the parent of WSMS

alum Skyler (‘07) and as a former trust-

ee. I extend a warm welcome to Mat-

thew Bloom, our new CFO, who has hit

the ground running.

And, on behalf of the WSMS commu-

nity, my heartfelt thanks to everyone

mentioned in these pages for your

openhearted support and your continu-

ing commitment to our mission. For 51

years and counting, our community of

current and alum parents has helped

WSMS become the exceptional place

that it is. I am deeply grateful to each

and every one of you.

Mimi Basso

Head of School

MIMI’S

VOICE

2 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

A MESSAGE FROM OUR

BOARD CHAIR

Dear members of the WSMS community,

As many of you know, I have a long

history with WSMS—as a student in

the ’70s, as the parent of three recent

alumni, and now as Board president—

and I have seen many changes over the

years. The Annual Report of Giving fea-

tured in this issue of Great Beginnings

celebrates your generosity, but it also

reﬂects the way we always have our

eyes open to meet the challenges of our

dynamic world, be they programmatic,

environmental, ﬁnancial, or cultural.

Having established an excellent aca-

demic beginning for children of the Up-

per West Side, the WSMS community

has never rested on its laurels. Instead,

with the support of the Board of Trust-

ees, it has worked hard over the years to

expand access for families from a broad

socioeconomic spectrum; to continually

improve the physical environment; and

to supplement the traditional Montes-

sori focus in creative ways. Last year’s

innovative entree into a slightly younger

cohort—the Two’s Program—was a suc-

cess and has led to our expanding our

Montessori teacher education program,

WSMS-TEP, to address training for that

younger group. We are also providing

the opportunity for our faculty to obtain

their early childhood master’s degrees

on site, through collaboration with Con-

cordia College.

We are fortunate to have in Mimi Basso

a leader with clear and thoughtful vision.

We have a Board of Trustees with wide-

ranging expertise and the shared con-

sistent goal of keeping WSMS poised to

meet every opportunity and challenge.

And we have a faculty and administra-

tion whose ﬁrst priority—as we can nev-

er say often enough—is to provide the

highest quality educational start for all

our children.

The other thing we can never say

enough is thank you: to the members

of the Advancement Committee, es-

pecially committee chair Myles Amend

and Annual Fund Chairs Cecily Denny,

Sarah Lowenstein and Stell Pennay; to

Parents Association Co-Presidents Aima

Raza and Joanna Hagan Rego; to Auc-

tion Co-Chairs Katie Cameron, Nikki

Chase-Levin, and Jason Santiago; to

Spring Fair Co-Chairs Allen and Angela

Lamb, Jessica Mendelowitz, and Elisa-

beth Zeche; and to Advancement Direc-

tor Patricia Luciani.

And our deepest thanks to you for your

ongoing generosity and commitment to

WSMS.

Alexander H. Southwell ’76

(Madeline ’07, Lucas ’11, Gemma ’14)

President, Board of Trustees

FUNDRAISING

RESULTS

2013-2014

A MESSAGE FROM OUR

BOARD CHAIR

2013-2014 REVENUE (unaudited)

2013-2014

OPERATING EXPENSES

ANNUAL FUND $278,246

AUCTION (NET) $213,947

TOTAL $492,193

Instructional

Expense 54%

Tuition, Fees,

Gov’t Programs

91%

Auction (net) 4%

Annual Fund 5%

Financial Aid 12%

Administrative

Expense 21%

Building Maintenance 13%

4 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

Nikki is the mother of two enthusiastic little

dudes: Max, a kindergartner at Collegiate

and an alumnus of classroom 4E, and Zach,

a second-year student in Garden. Nikki is

also an active WSMS parent volunteer who

served as Auction 2014 co-chair.

Nikki received her BA in Journalism from Mich-

igan State University. She has worked in vari-

ous capacities—television advertising devel-

opment, marketing communications, public

relations, and events programming—for

several consumer brands, including Captain

Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Sony, Morgan

Stanley, Discover Card, and Miller Brewing

Company. Nikki is the founder and presi-

dent of Straight Line Marketing, Inc., an in-

dependent consultancy serving such clients

as Smirnoff Vodka, Discovery Networks, and

the experiential marketing agency MKTG.

Nikki was elected to the New West Condo-

minium Board of Managers in 2010 and cur-

rently serves as board Vice President.

Lindsay was born and raised in Vancouver,

Canada. She has a BSc in Forestry from the

University of British Columbia and a JD from

the University of Toronto. Prior to starting

her family, Lindsay practiced commercial

real estate law in Vancouver and New York.

She is now developing the U.S. East Coast

market for EAB Tool Co., a power tool ac-

cessory company founded by her father

and marketed in over 2,700 retail outlets in

North America. Lindsay and her husband, Ali

Dibadj, are the proud parents of Cameron

(5), who graduated from WSMS in 2014,

and Ava (3), who started her second year at

WSMS this fall.

Iva is the mother of twins Dashiel and Mor-

gan, who both excitedly began attending

WSMS last fall in the new Two’s Program (1W)

and are now in 4Eam. Iva has been an active

school parent, participating in the WSMS

Annual Fund drive and volunteering with the

Auction and Spring Fair committees. She re-

ceived her BA in Political Science from the

University of California, Los Angeles, and

her JD from the Washington College of Law

at American University. Iva practiced law for

10 years: at a law ﬁrm, primarily in the area

of advertising and marketing litigation, and

in-house, litigating intellectual property dis-

putes. She is married to Scott Mills.

NIKKI CHASE-LEVIN LINDSAY FORBES IVA MILLS

MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Charged with the responsibilities of supporting and overseeing the head of school, setting the school’s policies, providing

strategic guidance, and ensuring ﬁduciary and ethical integrity, the WSMS Board of Trustees plays a critical role in ensuring

the long-term health and well-being of our school. Consisting of current and former WSMS parents, distinguished individuals

from other educational institutions, a faculty representative, and three ex ofﬁcio trustees (the head of school and the current PA

co-presidents), our board spans a broad range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. This diversity of experience enables the

trustees to effectively carry out a wide variety of projects, among them the purchase of our current building in 1974; the hiring

of our current head of school, Mimi Basso, in 2007; the “greening” of our classrooms and kitchen in 2009; and the addition of

a program for two-year-olds in 2013. We are deeply grateful to our current and former board members—every one of them a

volunteer, and all of whom have given of themselves so willingly and generously in helping to cement the future of our school.

Please join us in welcoming the following new members of the WSMS Board of Trustees:

For more information about all WSMS Board

members, please go to http://wsmsnyc.org/

home/community/governance/.

BOARD NEWS

TEACHER TALK

KAREN DEINZER

HEAD TEACHER,

TWO’S PROGRAM

INTERVIEWS:

Karen Deinzer &

Robyn Mernick

Premiering in this issue is a column enti-

tled Teacher Talk, in which members of the

WSMS faculty share with readers their back-

ground, their interests, and their perspec-

tives on Montessori education.

The second pilot year of the Two’s Program

at WSMS is underway, and head teacher Kar-

en Deinzer is, if anything, even more excited

and enthusiastic than she was a year ago.

Karen has more than 30 years of experience

working with infants and toddlers. In addi-

tion to heading the Two’s Program, she is

one of four teachers in WSMS-TEP’s Infant &

Toddler Program, which is also in its second

year. Here, Karen discusses her experiences

with the Two’s Program thus far, and with the

Montessori approach in general.

How did the ﬁrst year of the Two’s Pro-

gram go?

It was amazing! The children grew so much,

and so did the assistant teachers. We had 25

kids in all, and it was incredible to see how far

they had come by the end of the year. From

the beginning they trusted us and were so

relaxed and happy in the classroom. As the

year progressed they started to really look

out for one another, help each other, and

work together. The assistant teachers were

great from day one, but over the course of

the year they learned so much about work-

ing with this age group, and the patience it

requires. We’re all going to really miss the

kids from last year, but we’re looking forward

to working with this year’s group.

Can you describe this patience in greater

detail?

In the [WSMS-TEP] Infant & Toddler Program

we talk to our students a lot about the im-

portance of letting children be who they are,

and not being controlling. That’s why we

prepare the environment the way we do, so

the kids can choose what they want, when

they want. Two-year-olds will be loud; they

will yell and scream and run around. We tell

our students, “Relax, be happy, that’s who

they are.” You really have to stop and think:

What are the children doing? What are they

learning and discovering by doing whatever

it is that they’re doing? It’s crucial that we

not rush in and “correct,” that we allow kids

to use their imagination, to move, to create

things, to problem-solve, without the inter-

vention of adults.

Can you give an example of a situation

that you handle differently for two-year-

olds than for older children?

One of the activities our kids like to do is to

visit the kitchen at WSMS, to say hi to the

chef and watch the food being prepared.

Sometimes one child will suggest visiting

the kitchen, and then more and more of the

kids want to do it too. We don’t tell a two-

year-old, “You can’t go now, because it’s not

your turn.” Instead, we say, “Let’s all go see

the chef!” Another thing to remember about

children this age is that there’s such a broad

range of what’s age-appropriate, and you

have to anticipate that. It’s about role mod-

eling. The kids watch, and eventually they

do, but not because I told them to do it. By

the end of the year they know what’s right

and what’s wrong.

What advice do you have for parents deal-

ing with the infamous “terrible two’s”?

I don’t consider the two’s terrible! The most

important thing is to know your child: take

the time to sit back and observe her/him.

Remember that children at this age can be

unpredictable. Never assume that just be-

cause they do something one way today

that they’ll do it the same way tomorrow.

Language is important. Pay attention to your

tone of voice and your volume; you can get

a point across without yelling. Children lis-

ten, and they watch everything you do. We

recognize that it’s hard being a parent, and

we’re here to help. Parents are always wel-

come to come into the classroom to observe,

and when they do, they tell us, “I never knew

that. That’s a great way to handle that situ-

ation.” It’s a partnership: we’re all here for

their children.

What, if anything, about the program will

be different this year?

In addition to our existing programs (two

three-hour mornings a week, three three-

hour mornings a week, ﬁve full days), we

now offer an extended day option, until 6:00

p.m. To help us with the extended days,

WSMS has hired two additional teachers,

Puja Panchal and Mija Lee.

What brought you to teaching, and to the

Montessori approach?

When my daughter was two and a half

she was in Mimi’s classroom [at the Village

School in Ridgewood, New Jersey], and she

would always come home so happy. I was

the type of parent who was very curious, and

I always wanted to see what was going on in

the classroom. I was amazed by how intuitive

and natural the approach was. All my daugh-

ter wanted to do was paint, and now she’s

30 years old and she’s just opened her own

art gallery. I always tell her, “You are who you

are because of Montessori. You understand

how to respect people. It doesn’t matter

what you’re made of; respect is everything.”

In this world, more people need to learn to

accept people for what they are.

Karen Deinzer reading with WSMS 1W students.

6 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

What keeps you inspired?

WSMS-TEP always shows me a different side

of what goes on in the classroom. It’s so re-

warding to see these people coming in new

and eager to learn how to work with infants

and toddlers. The kids in the Two’s Program

are a steady source of inspiration. They truly

accept us teachers for who we are, regard-

less of age, etc. And then there’s WSMS.

Mimi has such a fabulous way of supporting

her teachers. I feel a real sense of belong-

ing here. I love being in the classroom and

watching the children thrive.

Children and adults alike have beneﬁtted

from the superb teaching of Robyn Mer-

nick, who is currently in her 10th year as a

Montessori teacher. Robyn came to WSMS

in 2009, both as an Early Childhood teacher

and as a WSMS-TEP teacher. She is quick to

point out that she learns just as much as her

students in both environments. Here, she

traces the path of her “Montessori journey”

up to the present, but it is clear that this path

continues far into the future.

What brought you to Montessori?

My entry into the world of Montessori was

a bit of a happy accident. After graduating

with a BA in Psychology, I knew I wanted to

work with children, but I wasn’t certain about

the capacity in which I would do this. I ap-

plied for an after-school teaching position at

a school that happened to be Montessori-

afﬁliated, and they offered me a full-time

teaching job instead! I had the good fortune

to be mentored there by a wonderful Mon-

tessorian named Mary Rockett. Her practice

was truly inspirational: her interactions with

children, her language, and her manner were

exceptional. I found that the way that I be-

lieved children should be treated and taught

had a name: Montessori! I was encouraged

to take my training through Northeast Mon-

tessori Institute in Massachusetts, and here

I was taught by a group of lifelong Montes-

sori educators whose words and lessons still

remain in my mind daily. I feel so fortunate

to have begun my Montessori journey with

them.

What brought you to WSMS?

Six years ago I planned to move to New York

from Maine in order to be closer to friends

and family. I was directed to look into West

Side Montessori School by a number of col-

leagues, one of whom, Megan Cahill, was

working there at the time. When I went for

my interview, I was delighted by the faculty

and the facilities. It was a beautiful space,

and it was obvious from the start that chil-

dren were taught with tremendous love and

care. It didn’t take long for me to make my

decision to join the WSMS community!

What keeps you inspired?

I stay connected to the ideas and people

that inspire me. This comes in various forms:

catching up with friends I trained with, or

past or present colleagues at WSMS; or

reading excerpts from Maria Montessori,

Rachel Carson, or Catherine McTamaney. I

try to keep my practice fresh by attending

workshops and conferences, but I take out

the notebook I ﬁlled during training when

I feel like I need to get back to what was,

and remains, most important to me. And, of

course, the community of unique children

with whom I spend my days is a constant

source of inspiration!

What have been some of your particular

successes with students?

Every day there are hundreds of tiny suc-

cesses. Some are academic: the child who

struggled with writing her name mere

ROBYN MERNICK

HEAD TEACHER, 4Eam;

HEAD TEACHER,

WSMS-TEP

TEACHER TALK

MINGMA UKYAB:

REFLECTIONS AFTER

14 YEARS

months before now representing each letter

clearly, or a third-year student composing a

springtime poem on the chalkboard. Oth-

ers are perhaps less noticeable, though no

less profound or meaningful: the child who

spills a drop of milk and, without reminder,

retrieves a towel and cleans his space; the

comfort an older child offers to a new stu-

dent who is crying for her parent; the usher-

ing of an ant to safety outdoors; the care and

creativity placed into a small ﬂower arrange-

ment to decorate the classroom. While I take

great pride in all of the children’s academic

accomplishments, observed moments of

kindness, wonder, curiosity, and indepen-

dence are, to me, greater successes.

As a head teacher, you have had the op-

portunity to mentor student teachers.

What are the ways in which you beneﬁt

from this role?

The relationship between supervising teach-

er and student teacher is so much more re-

ciprocal than one might imagine! The stu-

dent teachers I have had the opportunity

to work with have been so motivated and

inspired, and I have certainly gained from

them an equal or greater quantity than what I

offered! Their energy, despite going through

what is truly a grueling training process, is

absolutely infectious, both for the children in

the classroom and for the team of teachers

with whom they work. It’s wonderful to be

a part of an institution like WSMS that is so

deeply involved with the training of future

Montessorians.

Has the experience of teaching in WSMS-

TEP changed your perspective and/or

your practice? If so, how?

It’s been such a wonderful part of my own

Montessori journey to work in the training of

new Montessori teachers. I began teaching

ﬁve years ago in the Language component,

and I also designed and implemented a

Peace Education workshop that was added

to the Philosophy component. My own un-

derstanding of the philosophy and practice

has become so much deeper in the years

that I have been involved with TEP. It has

also been highly motivating to gain a deeper

understanding of language and literacy de-

velopment in the young child, leading me to

classes and workshops that presented strat-

egies foreign to the Montessori language

approach. How much richer my teaching of

both children and adults has become for this

expanded perspective!

The WSMS community bids a fond fare-

well to our beloved teacher Mingma

Ukyab, who has moved back to her long-

time home in Nepal. Here, she reﬂects on

her lifelong commitment to Montessori

education.

After graduating from college in my na-

tive country, India, I saw an advertisement

for Montessori teacher training. Although

I wasn’t familiar with Montessori, I was

intrigued, so I signed on for the course. I

have been a Montessori teacher for almost

30 years, including 14 at WSMS.

Montessori training changed my life! Every

day is an inspiration because I am continu-

ally learning—from the children and from

my colleagues. Montessori teachers are

guides, not content experts focused on

rote learning. We use our knowledge of

child development, our skills of observa-

tion, and the proven materials developed

by Maria Montessori to help our students

experience the joy of understanding and

the sense of competence associated with

acquiring new skills, absorbing new con-

cepts, and gaining factual knowledge.

We encourage questions, foster indepen-

dence, and emphasize that there are many

ways to learn and to solve a problem.

Now that I am back home in Nepal, I plan

to continue working in Montessori edu-

cation. I have visited more than a dozen

schools here that call themselves Montes-

sori, but they lack the proper training and

materials. I’m hoping to collaborate with

Mimi and WSMS–TEP to bring some sea-

soned Montessori faculty to Nepal to help

raise the standard here. I love WSMS; it is

an outstanding school for children, for fac-

ulty, and for families. I want to retain my

connection with the WSMS community for

the rest of my life.

Robyn Mernick

8 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

SUCCESSFUL CLASSROOM STRATEGIES TO TRY AT HOME

TEACHER TIPS

GROUND RULES:

SET THEM ONCE, REFER

TO THEM ALWAYS

OK, KIDS, LET’S CHECK THE CALENDAR

In the Garden class-

room a handmade illus-

trated poster describes

our basic ground rules:

We have an activity cal-

endar in our classroom

to let children know in

advance what to ex-

Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Gentle. These state-

ments shape just about every action taken in

our classroom community. We remind chil-

dren to treat every material with care and ev-

ery person with respect. We offer reminders

to remain safe while traveling up and down

the stairs: walk slowly, eyes forward, and

keep one hand on the railing at all times.

We remind children to be kind, and we of-

fer speciﬁc gestures and language to use

in various situations. For example, to get

someone’s attention politely, a child may

rest a hand on that person’s shoulder until

he or she responds. To courteously decline

a friend’s invitation to work together, a child

might reply, “No, thank you, I’m feeling like

I want to work alone.”

We also offer precise language for gently

resolving a conﬂict. We consistently insist

that children “use their words” when they

encounter a disagreement. We begin by in-

troducing “I statements” such as “I feel sad

when...” or “I am frustrated because... .” Our

goal is to keep children’s self-esteem intact

by having them explain their feelings and of-

fer a resolution for the conﬂict (for example,

“I am frustrated because you took my paint

brush before I was ﬁnished using it. I can

show you where you can ﬁnd another one,

if you like”).

These strategies can easily be adapted at

home. Have a family discussion about what

ground rules are essential to creating a

strong and supportive family unit. Have your

child help you create a poster that depicts

them. Place the poster in a prominent place

in your home—the fridge door may be the

place. And, refer to them consistently and

often.

pect, and to help them make transitions

more easily from one activity to another. The

calendar is composed of photos of children

with captions: Arrival, Work, Group, Gym,

Lunch, Roof, etc. By checking the calen-

dar, a child can orient herself to where she

is in the day, know that she’s doing what’s

expected of her, and see what comes next.

This strategy helps foster a sense of compe-

tence and builds some great habits for un-

derstanding sequencing and time. Creating

a simple calendar at home with your child

can make it easier to establish routines at

home and gain your child’s cooperation in

the bargain. Your child can help make the vi-

suals for the calendar: photos, drawings, or

collage. And he can help with creating the

captions (Wake Up, Brush and Wash, Home

from School, Bed and a Story, etc.), pasting

letters cut out from magazines to make the

words, or using his newly developing writing

skills.

GRETCHEN

AMBERG,

HEAD TEACHER,

GARDEN

CHELSEA

PETROZZO,

HEAD TEACHER,

3WAM

SOLVING THE OPPORTUNITY EQUATION

Eric Schwarz: WSMS Alum, Author, and Founder of Citizen Schools

As a member of the very ﬁ rst class to at-

tend West Side Montessori School, Eric

Schwarz has educational innovation in

his genes. His parents, Marian Lapsley

Cross and Fritz Schwarz, were members

of the esteemed group who sat around

a kitchen table in 1963 and envisioned

the educational beginning they wanted

for their children. So it should be no sur-

prise that, as an adult, Eric would identi-

fy an academic need and ﬁ gure out how

to address it.

Eric and a college friend, Ned Rimer,

observed that middle school students

in low-income communities suffer from

an “opportunity gap”: on average,

children in more afﬂ uent communities

spend 300 more hours per year with

adults and beneﬁ t annually from nearly

$8,000 worth of enrichment activities.

In 1995 Eric and Ned partnered with a

school in a low-income area of Boston

to offer academic and enrichment

opportunities to its students.

Eric and Ned’s success in that ﬁ rst school

was the start of Citizen Schools, a non-

proﬁ t organization committed to clos-

ing the opportunity gap. Last year they

had partnerships in 32 schools in seven

states, serving 5,300 children, with 244

AmeriCorps teachers and some 4,700

volunteers. The model is clearly work-

ing: rates of attendance, proﬁ ciency,

graduation, and college acceptance

have gone up in the partner schools.

The focus of Citizen Schools is “Ex-

panded Learning Time,” or ELT. Part-

ner schools commit to having all stu-

dents in grades six through eight stay

at school for three extra hours every

afternoon, Monday through Friday. The

students receive academic support, pri-

marily from AmeriCorps members, and

enrichment opportunities from local

volunteers with an array of skills and in-

terests—as the Citizen Schools website

describes it, “lawyers, engineers, car-

penters, journalists, nonproﬁ t leaders,

and grandmothers who sew.”

This year Eric has published a book,

The Opportunity Equation, to spread

the word. As he says, the book is “part

personal story, large part Citizen Schools

story, and, most of all, a call to action

to citizens across the country to get

active in addressing our nation’s growing

opportunity and achievement gaps.”

Publishers Weekly calls the book “an

inspiring chronicle of scholarly triumphs

and generous citizen activism, as well

as a constructive blueprint for boost-

ing achievement without abandoning

public education.”

After a national book tour Eric plans to

change his focus to higher education.

As he told Boston Business Journal, “I’m

proud of the foundation we’ve built, but

I’d like to see Citizen Schools become

the new normal in urban education here

in Boston and across the country. That’s

the big unﬁ nished business of the orga-

nization. … We’ve made a life-changing

difference for tens of thousands of chil-

dren, but we have a long way to go.”

For more information about

Citizen Schools, visit

http://www.citizenschools.org

ALUMNI NEWS

10 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

A COMMITMENT TO

EDUCATION—FOR A LIFETIME,

AND FOR ALL

The Witt-Hatﬁeld Family

When Valda Witt and Jay Hatﬁeld decided

to move back to New York City in 2003, they

were delighted that their ﬁrst child, Kath-

erine, had been accepted to WSMS. She’d

had a stellar year at Southampton Montes-

sori School, and the head of that school (not

to mention Valda’s own research) made it

clear that WSMS was “where to begin…” in

New York. Happily, there was an opening for

Katherine … and for a strong family connec-

tion that shows no signs of abating.

Quality education is a clear priority for Valda

and Jay, both for their own children and for

others who may not be as lucky, and this

commitment started early.

Valda grew up in Philadelphia in a family

of engineers, scientists, and teachers. “My

parents were immigrants from Europe post-

WWII…. English was not my ﬁrst language.

I have particular admiration for my grand-

parents, who understood that their sacriﬁces

would beneﬁt my parents and, even more

so, their grandchildren. They had a big im-

pact on my life and perspective.”

Valda attended inner-city public schools and

graduated from William and Mary with a BA

in History. From there she headed to a job

in creative services at Polo Ralph Lauren in

New York, while debating whether to pur-

sue an interest in medicine. Ultimately she

returned to Philadelphia to pursue an MBA

at Wharton.

Jay grew up in California, and earned a bach-

elor’s degree in Managerial Economics from

UC Davis. He came to Wharton after working

as a consultant/auditor for Arthur Young and

Company in Palo Alto, where he specialized

in technology, biotechnology, and retailing.

After completing her MBA, Valda joined

McKinsey, the eminent management con-

sulting ﬁrm, in their Los Angeles ofﬁce, fo-

cusing on managed care and corporate

governance. A marketing position at Clairol

brought her back to New York. Jay started

his post-MBA career at Morgan Stanley, spe-

cializing in ﬁnancing of public utilities. He

and Valda married in 1998.

Katherine was born in 1999, and

William followed in 2001. Valda continued

to work, switching to a part-time schedule at

McKinsey, and then opted to stay home after

Andrew was born in 2004 (Benjamin arrived in

2007). Jay became the president and found-

er of Infrastructure Capital Management,

which focuses on companies in the energy,

real estate, and industrial sectors. And, now

that the kids will all be in ongoing schools,

Valda has decided to pursue her love of ﬁlms,

forming VMW Entertainment to explore ﬁlm

and television production.

Valda is well known among the WSMS com-

munity as a former trustee and board chair,

and she and Jay are widely recognized as

generous and enthusiastic supporters of the

William ’07, Jay,

Valda, Benjamin ’13,

Katherine ’05, and

Andrew ’09

Clockwise from top: Benjamin, Valda, Andrew,

William, Katherine, and Jay

ALUMNI NEWS

school. But few in our community are aware

of the extent and range of the couple’s com-

mitments to supporting educational and

growth opportunities for children and young

adults.

As Valda says, these commitments “began

organically.” Comfortable in his role as a

third-year associate at Morgan Stanley, Jay

wanted to do more with his skills and tal-

ents. In 1994 he joined the board of Green-

hope Services for Women, an East Harlem

nonproﬁt for women that houses parolees,

women referred by the courts for alternative

treatment, and those with substance-abuse

problems. He began by analyzing their bud-

get, and 20 years later he is still there. Mean-

while, Valda took on parent volunteer roles

at WSMS and joined the Board of Trustees

in 2005. She served as president from 2009

to 2013.

Valda stresses the importance of the board’s

role: “Governance is key to ensuring the

health of the school—or any organization.

All boards have their own personalities, but

for any endeavor to succeed—whether that

be a board of trustees or VMW Entertain-

ment—it’s a team orientation that will make

it work.” Valda’s priority as WSMS Board

President was ensuring the ﬁnancial viability

of the school—both short-term and long-

term—and she emphasized the need for ﬁs-

cal responsibility alongside sustained ﬁnan-

cial support from all constituents.

In 2005 Katherine moved on from WSMS to

Marymount for kindergarten, and two years

later William enrolled at Browning. Before

long, Valda was on the Browning board and

Jay was on the Marymount board.

As the product of inner-city schools, Valda

is appreciative of the opportunities that a

high-caliber education can provide, and

only too aware of the particular frustrations

that urban parents can face. Recognizing

MONTESSORI MOMENT

One afternoon in July, Valda noticed that the voices she was hearing from the next room

were unusually collaborative but excited … Peeking in, she discovered her four chil-

dren—ages six to 14—building with blocks in a very Montessori fashion: consulting with

each other, deferring to others’ suggestions, negotiating next steps, creatively using toy

trucks and Playmobil pieces to create an environment and tell a story. “We’re building an

empire, Mom,” they told her.

Valda credits WSMS with her children’s creative independence: “They were—and are—al-

ways able to develop projects for themselves, to work independently, and to be support-

ive of each other.” The recent block building is a prime example of children of varying

ages working together, each contributing what he or she knows from past academic and

social experiences: “The older children learned about empires in their history classes,

and Ben is absorbing their knowledge.”

Katherine, after nine terriﬁc years at Marymount, headed farther crosstown this fall to

complete high school at Brearley. Marymount was the “best match” for Katherine at

age ﬁve: cozy but stimulating, with an emphasis on values. Like many children, Kath-

erine eventually wanted a change. She had several options, including Stuyvesant, but

ultimately decided she preferred the more intimate all-girls setting, where she would ﬁnd

role models and have the opportunity to mentor younger girls.

When it was time for William to leave WSMS, the family found his best match at Brown-

ing. William was quiet and serious, already reading at age four. Browning identiﬁed and

valued his thoughtful and focused approach to school, and he thrived. Having his broth-

ers follow him there was a no-brainer.

Andrew, now 10, is following in his dad’s footsteps. He started his own investment portfo-

lio at age six with a request for a share of Apple as a Christmas present, and now enthu-

siastically reads the ﬁnancial pages of the paper to manage his portfolio. He inspired his

siblings as well: they all have portfolios tailored to their particular interests.

Benjamin, the youngest, spent three years at WSMS, and became quite the expert on

faculty pregnancies! He often asks about his teachers’ babies, and can be overheard sing-

ing those familiar Montessori tunes. As the quintessential youngest child, he was quick to

ﬁgure out how to catch up to his siblings. All the boys are enthusiastic basketball players

(just like Dad); to keep pace, Ben learned early on how to manage regulation-size balls

and play at regulation-height hoops.

All the children are passionate readers, with Ben more of a non-ﬁction guy. The boys are

drummers, while Katherine plays piano and studies voice. They are fascinated by history

and science. If you stop by some night, you’ll ﬁnd the four kids intently watching TV

together, but it won’t be Modern Family … their favorites are MythBusters on Discovery

Channel, Brain Games on National Geographic, NOVA on PBS … and, for a break, Worst

Cooks in America on the Food Network!

When you have four children in nine years, you need to have ﬂexibility and commitment.

The Witt-Hatﬁeld family exempliﬁes both: the ability to juggle children, schools, and pro-

fessional and charitable commitments while maintaining a vibrant home life. The children

are thriving in an environment that values independent thinking and taking advantage of

opportunities. And they are absorbing a family dynamic that fosters providing those op-

portunities to a broad spectrum beyond the family core.

A COMMITMENT TO

EDUCATION—FOR A LIFETIME,

AND FOR ALL

The Witt-Hatﬁeld Family

how fortunate their own children are, she

and Jay have made a conscious effort to

support viable educational options for oth-

ers. Jay is a member of the Board of Trustees

of Future Leaders Institute Charter School on

West 122nd Street; Valda joined the boards

of Prep for Prep and the New York Academy

of Art. In addition, they established a family

foundation, which is focused on improving

educational opportunities for socially and

economically underprivileged children. As

Valda says, “Kids need to be trained to suc-

ceed in today’s economy; they need motiva-

tion. And too many kids do not have the role

models to make this happen. Our founda-

tion works to provide that support.”

12 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE

OF WSMS-TEP

A Masterful Approach

This year WSMS is delighted to welcome

Lisanne Pinciotti, MEd, as Program Direc-

tor of WSMS-TEP, our on-site teacher edu-

cation program. Lisanne has been involved

in Montessori education since 1985, serv-

ing in a wide range of capacities, including

teaching, administration, curriculum design,

and policy planning. Here, Lisanne offers an

overview of how she got to WSMS-TEP and

a snapshot of what’s in the pipeline for this

exciting and ever expanding program.

What brought you to teaching, to Montes-

sori, to teaching teachers?

When I was growing up, my mother always

told me I would be a teacher. Many of the

women in my family worked outside the

home, and they were mainly nurses and

teachers. I was determined to become

someone “different” and follow a less tradi-

tional path. I earned a BS in Business Admin-

istration at the University of Dayton, which

I found challenging and exciting. “Learn,

Lead, and Serve” was the motto of UD at the

time, and it was fostered in and out of the

classrooms. Once I graduated and started

working, however, I really missed the rou-

tine and the powerful interactions I had felt

within a learning environment.

I “discovered” Montessori several years lat-

er while pursuing a master’s degree in Early

Childhood Education at Rutgers University’s

Graduate School of Education. One of the

early courses required us to observe in a va-

riety of early childhood settings, including at

least one Montessori school. That ﬁrst visit

was the typical “aha!” moment that many

Montessori teachers—and parents—de-

scribe. I found children and adults working

harmoniously, both independently and in

small groups. There was a focus on orga-

nization of classroom and curriculum that

seemed unique to me. I remember thinking,

“This is how it should be,” as I watched the

joyful approach to learning in that room.

Fast forward 20 years, and I’d ﬁnished early

childhood training at the Center for Montes-

sori Education (CMTE)/NY, completed my

master’s at Rutgers, my husband Dino and

I had three daughters, and I was working

at Children’s House Montessori in Highland

Park, NJ. Besides being a mother, I wore

many hats: teacher, ﬁnancial administrator,

curriculum coordinator, and parent edu-

cation presenter. CMTE/NY invited me to

join them as a ﬁeld consultant for interns. I

worked in the New Jersey satellite for nearly

20 years, eventually serving as Academic

and Curriculum Coordinator of the New Jer-

sey location until it closed last year.

And what brought you to WSMS-TEP?

I have been fortunate to meet and work

with many wonderful people throughout

my Montessori career; one of the people

I met along the way was Mimi Basso. The

TEP position is an exciting opportunity to

use my broad experience and love of Mon-

tessori in a new way. And I am grateful to

have this chance to work with the dedicated

and enthusiastic faculty of both the school

and the training program. I look forward to

WSMS-TEP’s ongoing growth and improve-

ment as we continue to build a “master”-ful

approach to Montessori teacher education.

What programs does WSMS-TEP offer

today?

WSMS-TEP currently offers two programs:

one leading to an American Montessori So-

ciety (AMS) Early Childhood (ages 2.6 to 6

years) credential, and one leading to an AMS

Infant & Toddler (birth to age 3) credential.

WSMS-TEP is afﬁliated with AMS and is ac-

credited by the Montessori Accreditation

Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), the

international standard-setting and accredit-

ing body for Montessori teacher education.

Because of the deep reﬂection and inquiry

that the accreditation process entails, adult

learners who graduate from our programs

WHAT IS WSMS-TEP?

WSMS STUDENT

TEACHERS CURRENTLY

ENROLLED IN

WSMS-TEP

Only four years after WSMS was

founded, the school administrators

recognized a clear need for formalized

training in Montessori early childhood

education in the New York area. The

Montessori approach was not wide-

spread in the ’60s, although it had a

strong and successful foothold in Eu-

rope. There were few places in the U.S.

where credentialed early childhood

teachers or individuals interested in ear-

ly childhood education could learn the

Montessori method.

Founded in 1967 as Central Harlem

Association of Montessori Parents

(CHAMP), the West Side Montessori

School–Teacher Education Program

(WSMS-TEP) is a program that prepares

adults to become effective, responsive

Montessori teachers capable of help-

ing young children reach their full po-

tential. Taught in WSMS classrooms on

weekends and during school breaks,

WSMS-TEP offers a supportive learn-

ing environment in which adult students

work together with experienced, highly

qualiﬁed Montessori educators, some

of whom are graduates of WSMS-TEP

themselves, while others bring addi-

tional perspective from training pro-

grams around the country.

Rebecca Estomago, 4W

Akwanza Gleaves, 2E

Amanda Hopson, 4W

Claire McGinley, 2W

Rachel Milano, 3Wam

Divya Narang, 4Eam

Lauren Sprouse, 3E

Nicole Valenti, 3Wpm

Cara Zelas, 4Epm

Nicole Zerafa, Garden

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE

OF WSMS-TEP

A Masterful Approach

WSMS TEACHERS

CURRENTLY TEACHING

IN WSMS-TEP

Mimi Basso, Head of School

Infant Toddler, Philosophy, Pedagogy,

Observation

Karen Deinzer, Head Teacher 1W

Infant Toddler: Environmental Design,

Child/Family and Community

Katherine Fordney, Head Teacher 3E

Mathematics, Cultural Subjects

Melissa Freeman, Associate Head of School

Philosophy, Observation, Practical Life,

Sensorial, Classroom Leadership

Thana Khouli, Assistant Teacher 4W

Cultural Subjects

Donna Longdon, Head Teacher 4W

Student Teaching Seminar

Margot Mack, Head Teacher 2E LAP, Art

Specialist

Art

Robyn Mernick, Head Teacher 4Eam

Language, Peace

Marcia Polanco, Assistant Teacher 3Wam

Cultural Subjects

Gelsey Steinbrecher, Head Teacher 4Eam

Mathematics

are not only well prepared to work in infant,

toddler, and early childhood environments,

but their credentials are nationally and in-

ternationally recognized, allowing them to

work in Montessori programs worldwide.

Last year was an exciting one for WSMS-TEP,

as the inaugural cohort of eight Infant/Tod-

dler adult students graduated in June and

are now working in area schools. This year

we have 10 students in the Infant/Toddler

program and 42 students in the Early Child-

hood program.

How does WSMS-TEP beneﬁt current stu-

dents at WSMS?

WSMS-TEP provides a steady supply of ex-

cellent, qualiﬁed teachers for the children

of our school. Many people enrolled in

TEP do their student teaching in our class-

rooms, and some graduates are hired to ﬁll

the openings we have for new faculty each

year. A number of seasoned WSMS faculty

members teach in the WSMS-TEP program,

thus gaining an opportunity to hone their

Montessori skills in their role as TEP instruc-

tors, and ensuring continuity in style and ap-

proach in the student teachers. Truly, this is

a case of everyone beneﬁting from the pro-

gram, but ultimately it is the children who

beneﬁt the most.

Beginning this fall, WSMS-TEP students

(48 of whom are doing their internships

in classrooms at WSMS and other schools)

will be able to apply the credits they ob-

tain for their Montessori certiﬁcation to-

ward a master’s degree in Early Childhood

Education. How does that work?

The Montessori/Concordia dual master’s

degree in Early Childhood & Special Educa-

tion is designed speciﬁcally for Montessori

teachers who have earned a bachelor’s de-

gree and who are seeking state certiﬁcation

in order to qualify for a head teacher posi-

tion in New York State. Concordia College

(located in Bronxville, NY) has agreed to ac-

cept up to 15 WSMS-TEP credits toward its

46-credit master’s degree. As a result, cre-

dentialed Montessori teachers are eligible

to apply for the program and need to earn

only 31 additional credits toward their de-

gree. Better still, the program offers a sig-

niﬁcant per-credit tuition reduction for those

remaining credits. Courses will be taught by

Concordia College faculty at WSMS, making

it easier for our interns and faculty to par-

ticipate.

This new opportunity is a real beneﬁt for 11

of our current WSMS teachers, who want to

grow professionally and enhance their state

teaching credentials. In addition, the pro-

gram deﬁnes WSMS-TEP as a collaborative

partner and resource within the wider Mon-

tessori community.

WSMS-TEP TEACHER

MARIA GRAVEL TO

RECEIVE AMS AWARD

The Infant/Toddler Program recognizes

and celebrates the hard work and dedi-

cation of Maria Gravel, esteemed WSMS-

TEP faculty member and longtime Mon-

tessori advocate at Seton Day Care and

Preschool on East 92nd Street. Maria is

the recipient of the 2014 American Mon-

tessori Society Living Legacy award and

will be recognized as such at the 2015

AMS Annual Conference in Philadelphia.

As an accredited Montessori school and

teacher education program, we look for-

ward to the celebration in Philadelphia

to recognize Maria’s accomplishments

and her unique contributions to the Mon-

tessori community of children, families,

teachers, schools, and teacher education

programs.

The Living Legacy award is an annual trib-

ute to an individual whose dedication and

leadership have made a lasting impact on

the AMS community. Our Head of School,

Mimi Basso, is current chairperson for the

Living Legacy Scholarship Committee,

which awards scholarships to aspiring

Montessori educators at AMS-afﬁliated

teacher education programs.

What are the plans for the future of

WSMS-TEP?

Besides continuing reﬁnement to our cur-

riculum and programs, and the new partner-

ship with Concordia College, we are work-

ing on a professional development program

for Montessori-credentialed teachers. AMS

now requires that teachers earn a minimum

of 50 hours of professional development

within 10 years in order to renew their teach-

ing credential. I believe that high-quality op-

portunities are needed to ensure continuing

competence in the classroom, enhanced

understanding of Montessori materials, the

needs of today’s children, and the impor-

tance of building partnerships with families.

WSMS-TEP is in a position to share the ex-

pertise of our faculty and administration with

teachers and schools in the metropolitan

area to meet these goals.

14 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

ANNUAL

REPORT OF

GIVING

WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

2013-2014

Why

We Give

“Our twins attended West Side for

three years. In each of those years,

we made a gift to the Annual Fund—

we were so grateful for the wonder-

ful beginning education they were

receiving. Now that our twins are in

third grade, we support their current

school, and we continue to give to

the WSMS Annual Fund—not only

because we are grateful for the ex-

cellent preparation that they got at

West Side, but also because we want

to ensure its future for generations of

children to come.”

The Gonzalez Family, Ella and

Esme ’11

West Side Montessori School’s promise

is to provide each student with the best

possible preparation for a lifetime of

learning, and we are fortunate to have

the involvement of our entire commu-

nity in fulﬁlling that promise. We are

proud of the dedication, inspiration,

and expertise of our faculty and our

administrative staff. We have an out-

standing group of current and former

WSMS parents on our Board of Trust-

ees. We are privileged to have so many

current and alumni families, grandpar-

ents, alumni, and friends as donors and

volunteers.

This universal support helps us carry out

so many tasks that are central to our

mission: providing tuition assistance to

one out of ﬁve students; securing com-

petitive compensation and outstanding

professional development opportuni-

ties for our faculty; operating our on-site

Montessori teacher education program;

and ensuring the school’s excellence

and ﬁnancial stability for today’s stu-

dents and for generations to come.

Whatever form a donation takes—a

monetary contribution to the Annual

Fund, a gift in kind, a donation of time

and talent toward one of WSMS’s many

committees and events—and whatever

the size, the underlying spirit of giving

is the same, and we are deeply grate-

ful for every single gift we receive. Our

heartfelt thanks to all of the individuals

mentioned in the following pages

for your continuing generosity and

support.

We have made every effort to be as accurate as possible in compiling our lists of donors and volunteers. If we have inadvertently omitted your name or made

errors in spelling, please call the Advancement Ofﬁce at 212-662-8000 or e-mail [email protected]g.

16 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

THE

ANNUAL

FUND

2013-2014

THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORT

THE IMPORTANCE OF 100% PARTICIPATION

We encourage all members of the WSMS community to contribute to the Annual

Fund. Achieving a high percentage of participation is essential to our continued

success. It builds a strong culture of giving in which everyone shares in the impor-

tant work of supporting the whole, and it sends a powerful, positive message to

prospective families, potential donors, and outside funding sources that our mission

is compelling and worthy of support. Our sincere thanks to all for getting us closer

to our goal of 100% participation.

Every single gift to the Annual Fund makes a signiﬁcant difference to our school.

Each contribution helps us to make continuous improvements to our program and

our facilities to enhance the education we offer our students. Recent examples in-

clude the creation of our visiting scholar program; the upgrading of our gym equip-

ment and our rooftop play area; the transformation of our Parents Room into a

beautiful children’s library that doubles as a room for parents; and the implementa-

tion of a performance-based compensation program for faculty. Your contributions

also enable us to continue to offer ﬁnancial aid to 20% of our students.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2013-2014

100% PARTICIPATION

FACULTY 2013-2014

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 2013-2014

Alexander H. Southwell,

President

Mimi Basso,

Head of School

Myles B. Amend,

Vice President

Charles Harkless,

Vice President

Valda Witt, Vice President

Suzanne Day, Secretary

Robert Shepardson,

Treasurer

Gretchen Amberg

An Anglo

Michaela Aquino

Neeta Arbeiter

Carol Baird

Kassi Baxter

Rakshya Bhadra

Julianne Butterﬁeld

Chloe Chang

Cailyn DeBie

Giuliana de Grazia

Karen Deinzer

Rebecca Estomago

Aldo Evangelista

Mimi Basso

Becky Bonelli

Desiree Care

Lorén DeNicola

Sarah Eson

Melissa Freeman

Kristen Chae Arabadjiev

Nissa Booker

Harriet Burnett

Maggan Daileader

Kathleen Friery

Amy Groome

Alexandra Jarislowsky

Jae K. Lee

Anne Lyons

Bryan Mazlish

Monique Neal

Michael Seckler

Cordell Spencer

Amy Tarr

Greg Thorne

Aima Raza,

PA Representative

Joanna Hagan Rego,

PA Representative

Hulda Haughton,

Faculty Representative

Katherine Fordney

Claudia Gaviria

Casey Gomez

Michelle Harrison

Hulda Haughton

Melanie Hernandez

Natasha Holloway

Amanda Hopson

Maria Horsford

Maiko Ishii

Melina Juarez

Thana Khouli

Tracy King

Yayoi Kobayashi

Donna Longdon

Margot Mack

Robyn Mernick

Stefanie Meyer

Beata Owczarzak

Chelsea Petrozzo

Marcia Polanco

Nora Sacco

Joan Shisler

Gelsey Steinbrecher

Sarah Szen

Kelly Szuhay

Mingma Ukyab

Nicole Zerafa

Sarah Gillman

Barbara Grant

Julia Jimenez

Leah Leicht

Patricia Luciani

Judy Lyons

Melissa Mack

Mike Moran

Lisanne Pinciotti

Jonathan Toogood

18 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

PARTICIPATION BY CLASS

Garden

Victoria and Martin Arms

Mr. and Mrs. S. Courtney Booker III

Mr. Yves Desgouttes, GP

Aima Raza and Agha Khan

Nikki Chase-Levin and David Levin

Suzanne and Stanley Nagler, GP

Jacqueline and Timothy Ramsey

Keisha and Michael Sutton-James

My Chi To and Martin Toulouse

Jennifer and Douglas Tsao

Mary Ellen M. Andrews, GP

Paulina Arredondo-Sanchez and

Felipe Garcia Ascencio

Jennifer and Jeffrey Brown

The Mazlish Family

Iva and Scott Mills

Dr. Birgitte Nacos, GP

Helen Zalantis and James Nacos

Joanna and Matthew Rego

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Santiago, GP

Erika Mouynes and Matthew Syrkin

Rielly and Dax Vlassis

Ruth and Stephen Waxman

Sara and Matthew Williams

Anonymous (4)

Maggan and Tim Daileader

Josephine Kuo and Hon-Ming Eng

Tirzah Schwarz and Charles Goldblum

Amy and Peter Groome

Mary S. Holland, GP

Elisabeth Zeche and Bradley Honan

Jisook Lee and Bruce Moses

Joanna and Matthew Rego

Mary Lou and Robert Russell, GP

Dr. Myra Skluth, GP

Lorraine and Stephen Walton, GP

Rachel Coan and Stephen Zeche, GP

2Wam

Emily Krasnor and Scott Heiferman

Mr. Robert and Mrs. Lucy Krasnor, GP

Sarah Babcock and Josh Krepon

Stephanie and Albert Lasher, GP

Elizabeth Mann and Micah Lasher

Judy and Jeff Leon, GP

The Neumeier Family

Jane and Barry Salzberg, GP

Jenifer and Mark Salzberg

Karen and Ben Sherwood

Alina and Alex Sinelnikov

Bianca Dias Soares and Edwin van Keulen

Erica Reiner and John T. Williams

Rui Wang and Ying Xu

Mr. and Mrs. Young, GP

Martha Livingston and Mark Young

Anonymous

2Wpm

Becky Bonelli, GP

Mary and Howard English, GP

Caroline and Nathaniel Johnston

Mrs. Eileen Kelly, GP

Monica and Joshua Mailman

Phyllis Mailman, GP

Leila and Neibaur McCarrey

Jamie Bonelli McMahon and

Benjamin McMahon

Vassili Serebriakov and Clare Menozzi

E. Sophia and Gabriel Ovanessian

Eileen Kelly Rinaudo and

Alexander Rinaudo

Joseph A. Rosalie

Enida and Frank Wolf

Anonymous

Karen Aronian and John Aronian IV

Maggan and Tim Daileader

Donna Disend, GP

Elizabeth Armet and Stuart Feffer

Ilana Goldman and Jordan Goldstein

Vicki and Craig Holleman, GP

Junko Takahashi and Jorge Navarrete

Katherine Westgate and David Pascual

Gwendolyn and Michael Tedeschi

Anonymous

Anonymous, GP

3Wam

Laura and Bill Burg

Adriana and Michael Clancy

Nora Gibson, GP

Wendy and Nick Heilbut

Lindsay and Jeff Leaf

Adrienne McGrath, GP

Jessica and Aaron Rickles

Katie and Jonah Sonnenborn

Caroline and Vince Visceglia

Anonymous (3)

3Wpm

Tiffany and Sean Gardner

Shirley Geismar, GP

Patricia Lage, GP

Alexandra Horowitz and Ammon Shea

Nicole Byrns and Lloyd Spencer

Allison Ross and Dan Waldman

Aviva Geismar and Sandor Weiner

Tina and Walter Bristol

Carol and Cameron Clough

Susan and Gregory Denny, GP

Cecily and Joel Denny

Lisa and Adam Gorfain

Aima Raza and Agha Khan

Nikki Chase-Levin and David Levin

The Pennays

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Santiago, GP

The Seckler Family

Erika Mouynes and Matthew Syrkin

Mary and Matthew Vertin

Marcia and Robert Waxman, GP

Ruth and Stephen Waxman

Anonymous

Melissa and Elam Birnbaum

Joeretha and Jeffrey Cabranes

Anna Coleman, GP

Lara and Philippe Crampe

Suzanne and Seth Epstein

Tatyana Tsinberg and Thomas Fahy

Kara and Andrew Gelb

Barbara and Michael Goodman, GP

Nancy Henningsen, GP

Soledad and Federico Infantino

Eileen and John Kavanagh, GP

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Levy, GP

Eileen Kavanagh and Jon Luff

Kathleen Friery and Bill Ritter

Laura and Andrew Slabin

Mr. and Mrs. Hans Solmssen, GP

Sandra and Alexander Southwell

Mrs. Marjorie Stephan, GP

Soogy Lee and Nathan Taft

Yi Zhang

ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORS

ALUMNI FAMILIES, FRIENDS, GRANDPARENTS

Alumni Families and Friends

E. Jean Adams

Marc Thomas and Myles Amend

Kristen and Boris Arabadjiev

Lisa and Kevin Armstrong

Carol Baird

Marcella Blake

Becky Bonelli

Harriet and Tom Burnett

Michelle Simmons and Noah Carlson

Andrea Cohen and Rodger Citron

Tina and Michael Connelly

Jill Heller and Kip Davis

Suzanne and Douglas Day

Elly Eisenberg

Christina and Alex Evans

Carole Rothman Forster

Valeria Pollak and Guillermo Gomez

Elizabeth and Edward Gonzalez

Bettina Bose and Andrea Goren

Aileen Hefferren and Charles Harkless

Valda Witt and Jay Hatﬁeld

Jan and John Hazard

Nancy Henningsen

Carol and Hank Herman

Molly and Dylan Hixon

Mary S. Holland

Akemi and Bob Hong

Lisa Kohl and Ricardo Hornos

Malia Simonds and Elliot Kirschner

Monique Neal and Frank Kotsen

Elizabeth F. Stabler and Marsha B. Labovitz

Judy and Jeff Leon

Amanda and Steve Lindemann

Olivia Kim and James Lochart

Anne and Francis Lyons

Judy and Jeffrey Lyons

Janice Kambara and Laurence Lytton

Arlene Brickner and James Messing

Ginny and Tim Millhiser

Lorrie and Bruce Millman

Jae K. Lee and Scott Millstein

Margaret Nelson and Willard Moore

Jeff Gates and Mike Moran

Denise Murray

Julia Whitworth and Ray Neufeld

Belle and Blake Newton

Cyma Zarghami and George Obergfoll

Kathleen Heenan and Clary Olmstead

Mary Ann and Peter Pashigian

Christy Silvester and Joseph Patt

Susanne Peebles

Evgenia and Sergey Pekarsky

Elizabeth London and David Piaker

Doralynn and Jeffrey Pines

Judith Pott

Susan and Alfred Prettyman

Patricia Luciani and Shaul Rabinowitz

The Robertson Family

Alan Rothschild

Beth and Matthew Savage

Deirdre Flynn and Robert Shepardson

Amy Newman and Bud Shulman

Dian and Robert Smith

Alexandra Jarislowsky and Kevin Snow

Liz Canino and Cordell Spencer

Susan Talbert

Amy and Jeff Tarr

Barbara and Michael Taylor

Morgan and Greg Thorne

Michael Urias

Vanessa and Mark Voorham

Jill and John Walsh

Ema and Craig Warga

Jennifer Greenman and Christopher White

Eric Wolner

Lisa and Jay Yook

Julie and Townsend Ziebold

Anonymous

Grandparents

Mary Ellen M. Andrews

Becky Bonelli

Anna Coleman

Susan and Gregory Denny

Mr. Yves Desgouttes

Donna Disend

Mary and Howard English

Shirley Geismar

Nora Gibson

Barbara and Michael Goodman

Nancy Henningsen

Mary S. Holland

Vicki and Craig Holleman

Eileen and John Kavanagh

Mrs. Eileen Kelly

Mr. Robert and Mrs. Lucy Krasnor

Patricia Lage

Stephanie and Albert Lasher

Judy and Jeff Leon

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Levy

Phyllis Mailman

Adrienne McGrath

Dr. Birgitte Nacos

Suzanne and Stanley Nagler

Mary Lou and Robert Russell

Jane and Barry Salzberg

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Santiago

Dr. Myra Skluth

Mr. and Mrs. Hans Solmssen

Mrs. Marjorie Stephan

Lorraine and Stephen Walton

Marcia and Robert Waxman

Mr. and Mrs. Young

Rachel Coan and Stephen Zeche

Anonymous (3)

ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORS

20 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

WSMS PARENTS

ASSOCIATION

Composed of the entire WSMS parent

body, the Parents Association carries

out multiple missions, all of which are

vital to the life of our school:

• Raising funds for the school’s ﬁnancial

aid program by producing two annual

fundraising events, the Auction and

the Spring Fair

• Serving as a voice for parents’ views

on policy and program decisions at

WSMS

• Building and maintaining a strong

school community by promoting

understanding and friendship among

WSMS families through close com-

munication and a wide array of school

events

We are awed by the amount of time,

talent, and goodwill bestowed so

freely by our parent community this

past year. Our dynamic PA co-presi-

dents, Aima Raza and Joanna Hagan

Rego, assembled and led an energet-

ic, creative, and hardworking group of

committee chairs and class represen-

tatives, whose names you see here.

This list of volunteers constitutes only

a small percentage of the many par-

ents who contributed to the success

of the PA’s endeavors. To all of you,

our heartfelt thanks.

PARENTS ASSOCIATION 2013-2014

PA CO-PRESIDENTS

Aima Raza

Joanna Hagan Rego

FAMILY FUN

Book Fair

Victoria Arms

Lindsay Leaf

Jennifer Weisselberg

Bulb Planting

Lindsay Forbes

Mike Seckler

End-of-Year Picnic

Lisa Gorfain

Jennifer Obsatz

Grandparents and

Special Visitors Day

Ilana Goldman

Sarah Loewenstein

Hats, Mittens, Coats,

and Boots Drive

Dipa Chandra

Karen Naber

Pumpkin Picnic

Suzanne Napoli

Rachel Wang

Sandsational

Tomomi Friedman

Bradley Honan

WSMS Merchandise Sale

Donna Saliani

INFORMATION AND

PUBLICATIONS

Public School Fair

Jean Teo

Bea Yang

School Photos

Renee Vidaillet Galaz

Daria Kim

Yearbook

Mary English

Katie Sonnenborn

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Coordinator

Leila McCarrey

Garden

Victoria Arms

Anne-Marie Singer

Sarah Kimball

Ruth Waxman

Matt Onek

Tirzah Schwarz

2Wam

Debbie Bhatt

Erica Reiner

2Wpm

Jamie Bonelli McMahon

Donna Saliani

Dana Greez

Erin Volkmar

3Wam

Katie Barra

Wendy Heilbut

3Wpm

Tiffany Gardner

Alexandra Horowitz

Joyce Punnoose

Mary Vertin

Laura Slabin

Kate Stephan

Co-Presidents Aima Raza and Joanna Hagan Rego

22 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

Last year’s 50th Anniversary Celebration was a tough act to follow, but co-chairs

Katie Cameron, Nikki Chase-Levin, and Jason Santiago outdid themselves by cre-

ating a fresh new approach for this year’s Annual Auction and ﬁnding the perfect

new venue for it: the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. WSMS dad Dave Levin was

the Master of Ceremonies for this fun and creative “Walk in New York,” while other

WSMS parents, teachers, and friends added to the festivities with terriﬁc musical

performances and a rousing sing-along. In all, the Live and Silent Auctions, the

Rafﬂe, and the Online Auction raised $213,947 for the school’s Financial Aid Fund.

Our sincere thanks to Katie, Nikki, and Jason, to the committee chairs, to our pre-

senters and performers, and to everyone who donated their time, talent, ﬁnancial

resources, and so many wonderful auction items, all for the beneﬁt of our Financial

Aid Fund. A special thank you to the WSMS faculty and to our children, who worked

so hard to create their beautiful classroom projects. Special thanks also to those

teachers who donated their time and creativity to this year’s Teacher Time projects,

and to the administrative staff for all their help and support.

45TH ANNUAL

AUCTION

Auction Chairs with Mimi Basso

45TH ANNUAL

AUCTION

BENEFACTORS

Golden Bead Cube

Mimi and Bob Basso

Natasha Kazmi and Qaisar Hasan

Valda Witt and Jay Hatﬁeld

Rafael Mayer

Pink Tower

Nikki Chase-Levin and Dave Levin

Iva and Scott Mills

Patricia Luciani and Shaul Rabinowitz

Caren Pasquale Seckler and

Michael Seckler

Rielly and Dax Vlassis

Perri Wexler

Trinomial Cube

Kristen and Boris Arabadjiev

Heather and Ari Berger

Adriana and Michael Clancy

Maggan and Tim Daileader

Stacey St. Rose-Drayton and

Joseph Drayton

Rachel and Stephen Garrett

Tirzah Schwarz and Charles Goldblum

Lisa and Adam Gorfain

Amy and Peter Groome

Cynthia and Anthony Kim

Karen and Faris Naber

Kelly and Jonathan Opdyke

Joanna and Matthew Rego

Kathleen Friery and Bill Ritter

James Levy and Nami Soejima

Katie and Jonah Sonnenborn

Mary and Matt Vertin

Rielly and Dax Vlassis

Yi Zhang and Jing Wang

Katherine Cameron and Troy Woolley

Underwriting

Kerryann and Andre Benjamin

Aisling Ryan and Sascha Brodsky

Harriet and Tom Burnett

Christina and Michael Connelly

Catherine Davis

Suzanne and Doug Day

Dipa Chandra and Christopher Friedman

Renee Vidaillet Galaz and Ignacio Galaz

Kara and Andrew Gelb

Emma and Joel Gibson

Chad Gifford

Tanya and David Giles

Dana and Victor Greez

Beatrice Yang and Kevin Gregory

Amy and Peter Groome

Henna and Murtaza Haque

Beatrice Jonah

Aima Raza and Agha Khan

Lucy Krasnor

Kristina Stege and Christopher Leon

Nikki Chase-Levin and David Levin

Grace Han and Bobby Liu

Helen Zalantis and James Nacos

Seung Eun and Richard Pennay

Joanna and Matthew Rego

Donna Saliani and Joseph Rosalie

Robert Rubin

Jenifer and Mark Salzberg

Amy and Jeff Tarr

Jennifer and Douglas Tsao

Daria Kim and John Verberkmoes

Mary and Matthew Vertin

Rielly and Dax Vlassis

Yi Zhang and Jing Wang

Enida and Frank Wolf

Anonymous

Teacher Ticket Sponsors

Mary English and Aditya Adarkar

Suzanne and Doug Day

Rebecca MacKay Eastwood and

Michael Eastwood

Howard English

Elizabeth Armet and Stuart Feffer

Elisabeth Zeche and Bradley Honan

Lynsi Smigo-Hughes and Gregg Hughes

Sarah Babcock and Josh Krepon

Karen and Faris Naber

Timothy Ramsey

Deborah and Michael Rothman

Karen and Ben Sherwood

James Levy and Nami Soejima

Nicole Byrns and Lloyd Spencer

Mary and Matthew Vertin

Monica Winsor

Special Thanks

Owen Bissex, Artist

Marcia Ciriello Photography

Lindsay Dapp, KIPP

Amy Epstein, Event Production

Caroline Ervin and Christie’s

Regina Evans, Special Events &

Floral Design

Israel Fligelman, Furniture Maker and

WSMS Grandparent (Amit, 1W)

Sid Halpern and The Marsid M&M Group

Doug Jastremski and Power Posse

Productions

James McGovern and the Loeb Boathouse

Central Park

Will Rodriguez, DJ

Dean Sandler, Principal, KeyPoint

Presentation Specialists

Vincent Schwartz

Jenna Verhoff, Graphic Design

24 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

AUCTION CO-CHAIRS

AUCTION SUPPORTERS

AUCTION COMMITTEES

Katie Cameron Nikki Chase-Levin Jason Santiago

LIVE AUCTION

DONORS

Families

Katie and Michael Barra

Debbie and Kevin Bhatt

Rebecca and

Jonathan Dube

Ellie Neuman and

Israel Fligelman

Lisa and Adam Gorfain

Nikki Chase-Levin

and David Levin

Karen and Ben Sherwood

Teacher Time Projects

Gretchen Amberg

An Anglo

Michaela Aquino

Neeta Arbeiter

Carol Baird

Kassi Baxter

Rakshya Bhadra

Julianne Butterﬁeld

Cailyn DeBie

Giuliana deGrazia

Karen Deinzer

Katherine Fordney

Casey Gomez

PERSONNEL

Aima Raza

Joanna Hagan Rego

PARENT SOLICITATION

Jessica Mendelowitz

Erin Volkmar

G: Jennifer Tsao

1W: Ali Dibadj,

Lindsay Forbes

2E: Noel Getachew,

Josephine Kuo

2Wam: Emily Krasnor,

Erica Reiner

2Wpm: Caroline

Johnston

3E: Ilana Goldman,

Perri Wexler

3Wam: Caroline Russo-

Visceglia

3Wpm: Allison Ross,

Slavenka Sedlar

4E: Ali Dibadj,

Lindsay Forbes

4W: Kara Gelb

CORPORATE AND

VENDOR SOLICITATION

Alexandra Levy

Jackie Ramsey

Aviva Geismar

Emily Krasnor

Irene Liu

DECORATIONS

Cecily Denny

Lindsay Leaf

Renee Vidaillet Galaz

Amy Groome

Bettina Lage

Iva Mills

Ellie Neuman

Allison Ross

Anne-Marie Singer

Mary Vertin

SET-UP AND

TAKE-DOWN

Ellie Neuman

Ben Singer

Misha Nonen

RAFFLE

Lindsay Forbes

Lisa Gorfain

Angela Lamb

Ruth Waxman

Steve Waxman

ONLINE AUCTION

Natasha Kazmi

Dipa Chandra

Josh Krepon

SILENT AUCTION

Rekha Grennan

Moikgantsi Kgama

SHOW AND LIVE

AUCTION

Ilana Goldman

Daria Kim

CLASS PROJECTS

Patricia Luciani

Joanna Hagan Rego

Michelle Harrison

Melanie Hernandez

Amanda Hopson

Nalli-Ann Horsford

Maiko Ishii

Tracy King

Yayoi Kobayashi

Donna Longdon

Margot Mack

Robyn Mernick

Stefanie Meyer

Beata Owczarzak

Chelsea Petrozzo

Marcia Polanco

Joan Shisler

Gelsey Steinbrecher

Sarah Szen

Jonathan Toogood

Mingma Ukyab

Nicole Zerafa

Friends

Stephen Dubner, Author

Malcolm Gladwell,

Author

Jeffrey Lyons, Author,

Film Critic

Paul Tough, Author

Quality Italian

Restaurant

ONLINE AUCTION

DONORS

Families

3E Families

3Wpm Families

Mary English and

Aditya Adarkar

Karen Aronian and

John Aronian IV

Catherine Chaubeau

and David Arveiller

Paulina Arredondo-

Sanchez and Felipe

Garcia Ascencio

Anastasia Barzee and

Andrew Asnes

Juhee Suh and Daniel Bae

Alla Kormilitsyna-Bares

and Andrew Bares

Riquelmy Sosa and

Richard Bautista

Allen and

Karol Blankenship

Tina and Walter Bristol

Shenique Bruce

CATALOG / WRITERS

Beatrice Yang

Rebecca Dube

Mary English

Lindsay Forbes

Amy Groome

Sarah Miller

Sandra Southwell

Katherine Westgate

Troy Woolley

CREATION OF

ALL-IN ITEM

Ellie Neuman

BANKING

Josh Landis

REGISTRATION

Emma Gibson

Trecia Gillett-Gontee

ITEM MANAGEMENT

Stephen Garrett

Ellie Neuman

Maggan Daileader

Jing Wang

DATA MANAGEMENT

Kara Gelb

Caroline Johnston

Leila McCarrey

Joyce Punnoose

Allison Ross

AUCTION CREATIVE

DESIGN

Jeff Leaf

AUCTION

PHOTOGRAPHY

Craig Warga

TECHNOLOGY

Stephen Garrett

Note: Bold indicates committee chair

Adriana and

Michael Clancy

Fanny and

Robert Davidson

Giovanna and

Francisco DiPolo

Chris and Eric Disend

Christina Gantcher

Sarah Miller and

Jay Gaussoin

Tirzah Schwarz and

Charles Goldblum

Rekha and Sean Grennan

Veronica Neumann and

Daniel Gutierrez

Henna and

Murtaza Haque

Natasha Kazmi and

Qaisar Hasan

Emily Krasnor and

Scott Heiferman

Lynsi Smigo-Hughes

and Gregg Hughes

Caroline and

Nathaniel Johnston

Cheryl Kramer Kaye

and David Kaye

Gregory Gates and

Moikgantsi Kgama

Przemyslaw Kosobucki

Sarah Babcock and

Josh Krepon

Jennifer and Kim Last

Jenny Leung and

Jimmy Lee

Candida do Amaral and

January Leenknegt

Irene and Lucas Liu

Jennifer and Teddy Lynn

Jamie Bonelli McMahon

and Benjamin McMahon

Emily Moore

Miriam Morrow

Junko Takahashi and

Jorge Navarrete

Michelle Rodriguez and

Adolfo Mendez Nouel

Katherine Westgate

and David Pascual

Jacqueline and

Timothy Ramsey

Joanna and

Matthew Rego

Deborah and

Michael Rothman

AUCTION SUPPORTERS (continued)

Daniel Alford and

Jocelyn Russell

April Kozen and

Kent Scholla

Slavenka Sedlar and

Jonathan Sea

Alina and Alex Sinelnikov

Anne-Marie and

Benjamin Singer

Kate Stephan

Keisha and Michael

Sutton-James

Elizabeth Martorella and

Benjamin Swinburne

Erika Mouynes and

Matthew Syrkin

Kristin and Thomas Toland

My Chi To and

Martin Toulouse

Jennifer and Douglas Tsao

Melissa and

Jason Turowsky

Katie and

Garret Van Duyne

Bianca Dias Soares

and Edwin van Keulen

Soﬁe Van Gijsel and

Pieter Vermeersch

Caroline Russ-Visceglia

and Vincent Visceglia

Sara and

Matthew Williams

Rachel Wang and Ying Xu

Anonymous (3)

Friends

86th Corner Wine &

Liquor Company

Apple Seeds New York

The Art Farm in the City

Arte Pasta

B. Lee Events LLC

BlinkBuggy, Inc.

Bowlmor AMF

Broadway Bound Kids

CaptureYourself

Photography by

Brian Kao

Central Park Taekwondo

Chi Li Acupuncture, PC

Suna Chung

Ericka Clinton

Cozy’s Cuts for Kids

Donna Karan

International

Embody Acupuncture

Free the Brick

Fresh – Columbus Avenue

Gabriela’s Restaurant

Gymboree Play

and Music

Hands On! A Musical

Experience

Harlem Skin Clinic

Hombom Toys

Arlyn Imberman

Jeffrey Shaw

Photography

Jonas Gustavsson

Photography

Lucille Khornak

Photography

Kidville

Kinespirit

LemLem.com

Lindsey Belle

Photography

Little Shop of Crafts

Name Bubbles, LLC

Nancy’s Wines

New Westlane Wine

& Liquors

New York Kids Club

NYC Elite – UWS

Olde Good Things

Paper Source

Pie Face

Pravda

Melissa Perilli Price

Raw Space Art Gallery

Rutgers Community

Programs

The Sensuous Bean

The Shoe Club

Skip Hop

SoulCycle

Stephanie Odegard

Collection

Super Soccer Stars

Tang Pavilion

Touchﬁre

Mr. and Mrs.

Donald Trump

SILENT AUCTION

DONORS

Families

Mary English and

Aditya Adarkar

Kimara Ahnert

Alla Kormilitsyna-Bares

and Andrew Bares

Yenancy Martinez and

Richard Berroa

Nissa and

Courtney Booker

Joeretha and

Jeffrey Cabranes

Misha Nonen and

Jocelyn Charles

Adriana and

Michael Clancy

Hadda Ait Oukdim-

Conte and Steve Conte

Lara and

Philippe Crampe

Maggan and

Tim Daileader

Lauren Mitchell and

Michael David

Lindsay Forbes and

Ali Dibadj

Rebecca and

Jonathan Dube

Ellie Neuman-Fligelman

and Tal Fligelman

Dipa Chandra and

Christopher Friedman

Tiffany and Sean Gardner

Rachel and

Stephen Garrett

Kara and Andrew Gelb

Emma and Joel Gibson

Tanya and David Giles

Julius Gontee and

Trecia Gillett

Tirzah Schwarz and

Charles Goldlum

Amy and Peter Groome

Wendy and

Nicholas Heilbut

Soledad and

Federico Infantino

Cheryl Kramer Kaye

and David Kaye

Gregory Gates and

Moikgantsi Kgama

Aima Raza and

Agha Khan

Bettina and

Anthony Lage

Angela and Allen T. Lamb

Charlotte Simcock

and Joshua Landis

Nikki Chase-Levin

and David Levin

Irene and Lucas Liu

Diana Campbell Miller

and Graham Miller

Susanne Morrow

Jisook Lee and

Bruce Moses

Cathy Lin and

Xiaolong Mou

Karen and Faris Naber

Helen Zalantis and

James Nacos

Jennifer and Evan Obsatz

Kristen Kane and

Matt Onek

E. Sophia and

Gabriel Ovanessian

Olga and Laurent Pariente

Katherine Westgate

and David Pascual

Joanna and

Matthew Rego

Sarah and

Demian Repucci

Jessica Mendelowitz

and Aaron Rickles

Eileen Kelly Rinaudo

and Alexander Rinaudo

Kathleen Friery and

Bill Ritter

Donna Saliani and

Joseph A. Rosalie

Tracey Strauss and

Josh Sandbulte

Slavenka Sedlar

and Jonathan Sea

Caren Pasquale Seckler

and Michael Seckler

Alexandra Horowitz

and Ammon Shea

Anne-Marie

and Benjamin Singer

Laura and Andrew Slabin

Katie and

Jonah Sonnenborn

Nicole Byrns and

Lloyd Spencer

Molly and William Steiger

Soﬁe Van Gijsel

and Pieter Vermeersch

Caroline Russo-Visceglia

and Vincent Visceglia

Erin and Greg Volkmar

Allison Ross and

Dan Waldman

Ruth and

Stephen Waxman

Erica Reiner and

John T. Williams

Elly and Anthony Wong

Anonymous (3)

Friends

Aerin

Alexandra Moosally

Anna Beth Jewelry

Apple Seeds New York

Children’s Museum

of the Arts

Christian Zamora Studio

Dormer Medical Spa

Elizabeth Arden Red

Door Spa

Free the Brick

Nick Golebiewski of

Cooper-Hewitt National

Design Museum

Harlem RBI

HarperCollins Publishers

Jaded

Kate Tempesta’s Urban

Golf Academy LLC

Levain Bakery

Nancy’s Wines

New York City Fire

Museum

New York Transit Museum

Nickelodeon

Random House

Remi Restaurant

Spring Dermatology

Services

Swifty’s Restaurant

Tory Burch

Touchﬁre

Treehouse Shakers

Vera Wang

Maria von Nicolai of the

Maccioni Group

Restaurants

Wildlife Conservation

Society

Yarden Wines

26 | WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL | GREAT BEGINNINGS | FALL 2014 | WWW.WSMSNYC.ORG

SPRING FAIR

MAY 3, 2014

Children, parents, teachers, and neigh-

bors came together on Saturday, May

3, for a great day of games, food, and

entertainment on 92nd Street. Kids had

a wide array of fun activities to choose

from, including sugar cookie decorat-

ing, bracelet making, wriggling through

the tunnel maze, and taking a ride on

the beloved trolley. Grown-ups and kids

alike enjoyed the live music and the

terriﬁc food, from the burgers and hot

dogs to the delicious international buf-

fet to the always popular bake sale.

Our heartfelt thanks go to co-

chairs Allen and Angela Lamb,

Jessica Mendelowitz, and Elisa-

beth Zeche; to the stellar group of

subcommittee chairs they assembled,

whose teamwork made every as-

pect of the Fair run smoothly; and to

all who so generously donated their

time, talent, and ﬁnancial resourc-

es to help make this annual WSMS

family tradition such a success.

Allen Lamb

Angela Lamb

Bake Sale

Allison Ross

Deborah Rothman

Bracelet Making

Katie Barra

Tomomi Friedman

Cotton Candy

Josephine Kuo

Fishing

Wendy Heilbut

Grill

Nicole Schmidt

Erin Volkmar

Herb Planting

Sarah Miller

Gwendolyn Tedeschi

International Foods

Noel Getachew

SPRING FAIR CO-CHAIRS

SPRING FAIR COMMITTEE CHAIRS

SPRING FAIR DONORS

309 West 92nd Street

New York, NY 10025

Phone: (212) 662-8000

Fax: (212) 662-8323

www.wsmsnyc.org

SCHOOL (WSMS)

Very special thanks to the WSMS

faculty and the WSMS parent pho-

tographers, who provided many of

the photos used in this magazine,

and to the WSMS administrative

team, who helped in ways too

numerous to count.

Editor: Patricia Luciani, School

Advancement

Editorial Consultant: Tina Connelly

Copy Editor: Olivia Kim

Creative: Jenna Verhoff

Photography: WSMS Faculty,

WSMS Parents, Craig Warga

www.craigwarga.com/

Special Thanks: Gretchen Amberg,

Karen Deinzer, Robyn Mernick,

Chelsea Petrozzo, Lisanne Pinciotti,

Eric Schwarz, the Witt-Hatﬁeld

Family

Jessica Mendelowitz

Elisabeth Zeche

Outdoor Entertainment

Dave Levin

Parking

Matthew Karchmer

Popcorn

Riquelmy Sosa

Publicity

Bea Yang

Registration/Tickets

Kerryann Benjamin

Sand Art

Kara Gelb

Security

Alex Rinaudo

Set-Up

Neibaur McCarrey

Signage

Candida do Amaral

Natasha Kazmi

Spin Art

Caroline Russo

Sugar Cookie

Decorating

Jennifer Tsao

Trolley

Bradley Honan

Tunnel Maze

Dana Greez

Katherine Westgate

Yearbook Photography

Mary English

Families

Adriana Clancy

Kara Gelb

Allen Lamb

Olivia and Suzanne Napoli

Joanna Hagan Rego

Sandor Weiner

WSMS

Mimi Basso

Barbara Grant

Melissa Mack

…and all of the WSMS

faculty and staff

FALL 2014

309 West 92nd Street

New York, NY 10025

Phone: (212) 662-8000

Fax: (212) 662-8323

www.wsmsnyc.org

West Side Montessori School

Accreditations:

American Montessori Society

Middle States Association of

Colleges and Schools

New York State Association of

Independent Schools

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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